The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-21
THE PUBI,Ic SCHOOLS,

The new Mayor of Chicago, Mr. John A.
Roche plain, practical, sensible business
man and manufacturer, had something to
say on the public school question in his
Introductory address to the Council upon as
Stunning the duties of his Office. He lamented
the large percentage of non-attendance upon
the public schools of children Of the proper
age. and declared truly that the high-schools
can never rank in Importance to the great
mass of the people with the common schools.
The Chicago Herald, commenting upon this,
SAYS:
eff it were suddenly demanded of the edu-
cational department. as by right it might be,
that teachers and school-room should be pro-
vided for the tens of thousands of children
whose instruction is now no charge upon the
city because UNCONVENTIONAL and other schools
are supported at private cost, the failure ade-
quately to provide instruction in the primary
grades would become lamentably and con-
spicuousy prominent Even at the sacrifice
of the high.schools, certainly at the sacrifice
of many features of both the higher and
grammar training-features of doubtful value
and of undoubted cost-the facilities for edu-
cation in the primary grades should be ex-
tended until provision is made Tor all chill
dren whose training is not otherwise provided
for"
This is the view of every honest, candid
man upon the subject. A common-school
education is proposed to be given to the
children of the State Of Indiana at public
expense. But for years the public schools
have been in the hands of doctrinaires. theor-
lists, idealists, who have been experimenting
with their pet notions and schemes until the
fundamental and constitutional idea of COM
mon-school education has been largely lost
sight of in cities, especially, which
are the habitat Of these advanced
thinkers" In indianapolis, as a SAM
pie, there are hundreds and thousands of
children of school age, who cannot be and are
not accommodated with the school facilities
to which they are constitutionally entitled
because the funds that should be used to sup
ply these facilities for the whole mass OF
children are expended in useless and costly
by educational "cranks," and thrown away
upon such tonl-foolery and lawless waste as
the teaching of German, forced into the
schools by an intolerant spirit, and main
tanned by combination of anti-American
pride and native-American demagogy.
The present condition of things will not
always last. The parents Of the hundreds
and thousands of children who are denied
the common school privileges guaranteed by
the Constitution will not always consent te
see their children grow upin ignorance so thai
petted few may graduate" each year with
high school diplomas tied up in blue ribbon,
or still smaller number be given small
smattering of a foreign language. The
fathers of the unschooled children have
votes, and they will not be forever content t.
have the High-school maintained at high
pressure, and the German teaching anomaly
/ continue in full feather, while their sons ant
daughters grow up in ignorance or idleness
or are given only the most limited and meagr'
instruction. It will be noticed by them ii
righteous indignation that it is in the primar,
and intermediate grades where the doubling
and shifting, and economizing are done, an.
that even then there is actually no room for
constantly increasing population of school age